Method of making a flexible cylinder



1940. c. FIELD METHOD OF MAKING A FLEXIBLE CYLINDER Original Filed Aug. 14, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR C7086} Field 6i, amt/9M. W1

ATTO RNE Aug. 6, 1940. c. FIELD 2.210,070

METHOD OF MAKING A FLEXIBLE CYLINDER Original Filed Aug. '14, 1951 a Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CrosEy Field Aug. 6, 1940.

c. FIELD METHOD OF MAKING A FLEXIBLE CYLINDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Aug. 14, 1931 INVENTOR Y aerobic nmrrron o Crosby Field, Bron 1 of. Delaware N. Y., assignor to Flakice Corporation, Wilmington Bet, a corporation Griginal application August 14, 1931, Serial No. 557,107. Divided and this application January ,22, 1937, SerlaiNo. 121,769

6 Claims. (Cl. 154-42) This invention relates to the fabrication of readily flexible bodies such as cylinders. Such cylinders have particular use in ice-making apparatus such as described in Patent No. 2,005,734.,

5 tion will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and the accompanying drawings, In the drawings:- v

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of an assembled machine in which a cylinder madeinacc'ordance with one embodiment of the invention is used.

united.

' Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. g Figure 3 is an isometric projection of the flexible cylinder.

Figure 4 is an enlarged isometric view of one of the panels of the cylinder and showing the manner in which the ends of the metal sheets are Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view oi the panel showing the manner of uniting the ends of-the metal sheets.

Figure 6 is an enlarged loiigltudinal sectional view of a portion of the flexible cylinder at one sta'ge'in its manufacture and showing the manner in which the several metal sheets are united at their edges; and showing also the end aproms of the cylinder for attaching the cylinder to suitable cylinder ends or'heads.

Figure 7 is a similar view of the completed cylinder and showing its manner of attachment to the cylinder end or head.

-It is though that a brief description of a machine in which such a cylinder is used will be helpful in understanding the invention. The term cylinder is herein used ln'its broader con notation and is intended to describe any hollow body in the shape of a surface'of revolution generated by a straight line.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the machine consists generally ofa tank I in which rotates a freezing cylinder 2. Water is maintained in. the tank I at a level slightlybelow the top of the cylinder 2. Cylinder 2 rotates about a central hollow shaft 3 supported inthe end walls of 1 shaft 3.

to say that the flexible cylinder must itself be or the finished cylinder.

the tank I andlheld against rotation. Rlgidly secured to the central shaft 3 within the cylinder 2 is a drum 6 to receive cold brine from a brine cooler. The brine enters drum d through a pipe 5 which enters the machine through hollow The brine is projected from drum 4 through nozzles 6 against the inner walls of the cylinder 2. i

The level of the water in the tank 8 is maintained slightly below the top of the cylinder 2, and the cylinder 2 is deflected upwardly at the top of' the cylinder by aroller I which causes the ice formed on the cylinder to peel therefrom at the top of the cylinder and pass onto a suitable chute for delivery to a storage bin. The details of construction and operation of the ma-' chine as a whole are fully described in my United States Patent No. 2,005,734 referred to, reference to whic'his hereby made, it being sumcient here 20 free from leaks and must be incorporated in the machine in such manner as to prevent the cold brine from leaking out of the cylinder into the water in the tank, and to prevent the water in the tank from entering the cylinder. 3 Referring to Figureti, the cylinder consists of a. plurality of sheets 8 of thin flexible non-corrodible metal, each strip having its ends united and sealed to form one panel of the cylinder, and the several panels being united and sealed at their edges to form the complete cylinder. At

each end. of the cylinder, flexible aprons 9 are secured and sealed as hereinafter explainedfor securing the cylinder to end mountings such as hell l0 and a center ring ll of the machine (see Figure 1). For a machine having a cylinder 30" in diameter and a deflecting roller'of 6" to 8" in diameter, the sheets 8 may be .01" thick. Such thickness may vary under difierent conditions. a [40 In making the metal panelssheets of suitable metal, for example, Monel metal; are cut to proper length and width. Each sheet is theni rolled to preform the sheet to form a cylinder .of a diameter a little less than half of the diameter In this operation the sheet is roller first from one end and then from the other end. This preforml'ng of the metal sheets greatly reduces the stresses on the sheet when deflected by the deflecting roller 1 and thus increases the fatigue life of the metal. After the preforming operation the ends of each panel are smoothedas with sand paper and bent" to form hooks l2,-as shown in Figure 5. A cylindrical clamp strip It, formed as shown in. Figure s, is now slid into the hooks l2 a hold them in a'flxed position. The clamp strip is then looked to the hooks by means of a lock strip l4, formed as shown in Figure 5. The lock strip is prefer- I ably forced into position while the joint is m thick) is then applied, as shown in Figure 5, to

' completely seal the union. The metal panels 'thus described and the method of manufacturingthem is not intended to be covered'by the present application since these inventions are being covered in said copending application Serial No. 557,107 and in another copending appli-' cation Serial No. 121,768, flied January 22, 1931. The panels thus formed are joined together to form a cylinder by the following method which is chosen to illustrate the invention.

'A sufllcient number of endless metal sheets or panels thus formed (seven in the illustrative embodiment) are then placed in a cylindrical vulcanizing form for the purpose of uniting and sealing their edges to form the complete cylinder.

In the vulcanizing form a strip of raw rubber ll (see Figure 7) is placed adjacent the end panels. A number of turns of a steel wire I are placed against the layer of raw rubber 3|; the turns of the wire being joinedwith a clip of Monel metal to-which all turns are soldered. Astrip of raw rubber l'l aboutthick is then applied'to' the under side of each end panel to extend beneath the wire it and strip 30 and beyond the outer edge of the panel a suillcient distance to provide a flexible apron for securing the cylinder to the head or'end bell i0. Beneath the layer of rubber I1 is applied a layer or fabric II which has been frictioned with raw rubber on both sides.

- In the vulcanizing form the adjacent panels 2 are spaced about one-quarter of an inch apart, and beneath the edges of eachtwo adjacent panels a strip of raw rubber I! is laid having an added thickness l9 beneath the spaced edges of the panelst tobe forced into said space during the vulcanizing operation. Beneath the strip l9, I9 is laid a layer of fabric 20 frictioned with raw rubber on both sides and terminating at each end short' of the end of strip ll. Inside each panel and extending between the strips oif rubber is is placed the usual material to make an internal form or mold for the rubber to prevent its running during the, vulcanizing process.

en each end of the cylinder and each oi the inter-sections between panels oi the cylinder 1 have been thus treated, an air bag is placed inside of the cylinder and inflated, the ends of the vulcanizing form being securely fastened in place. The cylinder in the vulcanizing form is then cured in steam for a sumcient length of time to vulcanize and unite the rubber connections, and during this cure the air in the air bag is kept at a'higher pressure thanthe steam outside so as to press the rubber against the metal or the panels and force the added thickness it of the strip i9 into the space between panels 8. When this. step of the cure has been completed, the vulcanizing form is cooled by water sprays while ammo-1o maintaining the internal pressure 01' the air bag. After this vulcanizing step has been completed the air bag is removed, the inside of the cylinder is cleaned, and the fabrics I8 and 20 are cemented with an air-curing rubber cement. Previously cured bands of rubber 2i having grooves 22 formed thereinv are roughened and cemented to the under side oi!v the end fabrics it; one groove 22 being located beneath the edge of end panel 8, and the other groove 22 being located beneath and adjacent the outside strand of wire l8. Similarly previously cured bands of rubber'2l having grooves 24 formed therein are roughened and cemented to-the fabrics 20; the groove 24 being located beneath the edges of the adjacent panels 8. The ends of the rubber bands 2| and 23 are suitably beveled to fit together and form a continuous even track within the cylinder to slide upon the drum 4 and against which the deflecting roller 1 may act. The grooves 22 and 24 are provided to protect the edges of the panels 8 against the pressure of the drum 4 and deflecting roller 21 during the rotation of the cylinder.

-When the rubber bands 2| and 23 have been placed in position, and the airbag is replaced within the vulcani'zing form and the air pressure maintained therein until the cement has dried. The cylinder is then removed and cleaned. It is then placed in a test fixture and int'n'al pressure is applied to test for leaks. If 'no leaks are found the cylinder is attached to'the end bell ill and center ring ll of the machine by means of wires 25 which hold the end aprons in grooves 26 formed in the end bells and center ring of the machine.

.It should be noted that in place of the wire strands ii, a thin flat band oi metal may be used to reinforce the end aprons against bulging. Such a band may be of steel or some other material which is stronger than the metal of the cylinder panels.

The completed cylinder when united to the head or end bells is free from leaks, and the sealed unions between the panels will permit a ready flexing of the cylinder without loosening or breaking the sealed union. The wire It restrains upward bulging of the end apron adjacent the edge of end-panel and thus prevents objectionable deformation of the panel edge when the cylinder is deflected. The rubber strip It.

beneath the clamp strip it serves as an insulation to prevent the formation of ice at this union point, which might tend to disintegrate or loosen the sealing cement and rubber from the metal. Similarly the rubberstrips 22 act as an insulator for the union between the several panels and prevent the formation of ice on the cylinder over the area protected by said strips. Similarly the end rubber strips 21 act as insulators. arrangement the ice forms on the cylinder in strips or a width substantially equal to the distance between rubber strips Hand is peeled from the cylinder at the point of deflection by the roller 1.

While one specific embodiment of the invention has been described with particularity it is to be understood that the invenion is not to be limited thereby, but may have numerous other embodiments. within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method 01 making a flexible cylinder which consists in assembling in a vulcanizing With this U term a plurality of flexible metal cylindrical mm 14 els of substantially equal diameters in edge-toedge spaced relationship, applying strips of rubber and fabric to adjacent panels and within the same with said strips of rubber in contact with said panels to bridge the spaces therebetween, and vulcanizing the connections between the panels by applying an interior pneumatic pressure and an exterior steam pressure against the panel connections, the interior pressure being greater than the exterior pressure.

2. A method of fabricating a flexible cylinder by joining a plurality of cylindrical panels, which comprises sanding the inside edge portions of each panel, assembling panels in a vulcanizing form in spaced edge-to-edge relationship, cementing connecting strips of raw rubber over adjacent edge portions of the panels, vulcanizing said connecting strips by applying steam to the outside of the panels and applying uniform interior pressure against the inside of the panels and connections greater than the exterior steam pressure, and then cementing rubber fabric strips over said vulcanized connecting strips.

3. A method of making a flexible cylinder for heat exchange apparatus which includes the steps of assembling in a vulcanizing form a plurality of metal cylindrical panels in edge to edge spaced relationship, applying strips of rubber to adjacent panels to bridge the space therebetween, vulcanizing the strips of rubber, and cementing strips of fabric to the vulcanized strips of rubber.

4. A method of making a flexible cylinder for heat exchange apparatus which includes the steps of assembling in a vulcanizing form a plurality of metal cylindrical panels in edge to edge spaced relationship, applying strips of rubber to adjacent panels to bridge the space therebetween, vulcanizing the strips of rubber, cementing strips of fabric to the vulcanized strips of rubber, and cementing strips of cured rubber to said strips of fabric.

5. A method of making a flexible cylinder for heat exchange apparatus which includes the steps of assembling a plurality of flexible metal cylindrical panels in edge to edge spaced relationship, applying strips of raw rubber to adjacent panels to bridge the space therebetween, vulcanizing the rubber strips, and forming an annular space adjacent each vulcanized rubber strip by connecting thereto a rubber strip having an annular groove formed therein.

6. A method of making a flexible cylinder for heat exchange apparatus which includes the steps of assembling in a vuicanizing form a plurality of metal cylindrical panels in edge to edge spaced relationship, applying strips of raw rubber to adjacent panels to bridge the space therebetween, vulcanizing said rubber strips by an exterior application of steam under pressure at the same time applying an interior pressure against the strips which is greater than the exterior pressure, and cementing a strip of cured rubber to each of the vulcanized strips.

CROSBY FIELD.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent no: 2,210,070. August 6, 191m.

CROSBY .FIELD.

It is hereby certified thatferror appears in the printed specification of the above numbe req patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column line 145, for "though" reagi -thought-- and seeond columx z, line 1 7, for the word "roller" read -rol1ed--; page 2, seeond -co1umn, line 25, for the reference numeral 27" -read --7--; line 26, .'strike bi1t'"and"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read. with this correction therein that the samelmay conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this ZZncLday of October, nni. 191w.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

